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Tennis.

The Tennis Championships were commenced on Easter Saturday, on the Onehunga grass courts. Owing to their previous soaking, the courts were somewhat "dead," and our representatives, who were for the most part accustomed to the high bouncing balls of their own hard courts, did not show their best form in the first round. As this was, in most cases, their last round also, it is the more regrettable. Not, however, that more was expected of this team than has been expected of V.U.C. tennis representatives during the last few years—we were not surprised, merely disappointed.

In the first round of the men's singles J. M. Power, our first string, by steady play and accurate placing, accounted for Harrop (C.U.C.), 6—4, 6—3. Hollmgs, our second man, did not play up to form, and was easily beaten by Worker (C.U.C.), 6—1, 6—1.

In the second round (semifinal) Power met Lusk (O.U.) and lost the first set (6—2) after being repeatedly foot faulted—a sensation he had never before experienced. In the second set, however, lie settled down, and at one stage was within a point of taking the set, the Otago man finally winning, 9—7. That Lusk had indeed struck his best form was shown in the final, when he accounted for Worker in two straight sets, 6—2, 8—6.

In the men's doubles Power and Gibb lost to Slater and Wilkinson (O.U.), 6—3, 9—7. Here again they were within a point of winning the second set, but it was not to be. With more practice together our men would have made a very formidable pair. Our other double, Burns and Stainton, went out to the first Auckland pair, Entwhistle and Nicholson, 6—2, 6—3; the Aucklanders winning from Worker and Tench (C.U.C.) in the final after a closely contested three set straggle.

In the ladies we claimed to have a fairly good team, but the results were rather disappointing. Miss Thwaites was the only one to survive the first round, Misses Madeley and Gardner both losing to Otago's representatives. Miss Ballantyne (O.U.) put up a game fight'in the final against Miss Knight (A.U.C.), Miss Knight winning 9—6, this making her fourth successive win in inter'Varsity tennis.

In the ladies' doubles Misses Gardner and Coull (V.U.C.) won their first round, and then lost in the semifinals to the first Canterbury pair. Misses Thwaites and Madeley had the misfortune to meet Misses Knight and Mueller (A.U.C.) in the first round and were beaten by their more experienced opponents. In the finals, the first Auckland and Canterbury pairs had a hard struggle, Auckland winning 11—9.

Of the combineds there is not much to be said. Gibb and Miss Coull did not combine well together, and Stainton and Miss Pitgou met a superior combination in the first Otago pair.

Of the five events Auckland won four, Otago winning the men's singles. Canterbury were in the final in four of the five events, and Victoria.—

There is only one way in which we can win the Inter-'Varsity Tennis Challenge Cup next year—by improving our standard of play by about 50 per cent, all round.

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